A new master planned community that wants to annex into Colorado Springs city limits and could include hundreds of new homes as well as commercial, industrial and open space is closer to reality.

The city Planning Commission on Wednesday supported a request from developers to annex roughly 145 acres northeast of the Powers Boulevard and Bradley Road intersection into the city’s boundary. The board also supported the proposed Villages at Waterview North master and concept plans and requests to rezone portions of the vacant property located in unincorporated El Paso County.

Developers said they plan to build up to 800 new multi-family and single-family residential units, along with a mix of other industrial, commercial and public uses on about 116.5 acres of the project site.

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The requests now head to the City Council for consideration at a future date.

The project’s goal, said Jim Houk with developer consultant Kimley-Horn, is to develop an “integrated patchwork” of residential neighborhoods that will offer residents a diverse mix of housing options.

A concept plan shows about 57.5 acres of the site is intended for housing, with another 44 acres designated for commercial and industrial uses. The project also plans for about 3.5 acres of park space and 4.28 acres of open space.

One of the property owners, Veterans Villa Operating LLC, intends to build a 250-unit residential complex as part of the proposed development that will provide “upscale” residential services, its Chairman Joseph Zock told commissioners Wednesday. It will primarily be marketed to veterans but it will not be a “veterans-only facility,” he said.

Close to the Colorado Springs Airport, military installations and other employment centers, Villages at Waterview North will be an ideal place for future residents to live, he said.

“We’re excited about the project,” agreed developer Ray O’Sullivan, who is overseeing the proposed development. “We think there’s good demand for it. People want to live close to their jobs.”

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Bryan English, development projects manager with Colorado Springs Utilities, said Wednesday the proposed project meets new city requirements for annexation, namely that Utilities has at least 128% of the water necessary to serve existing city demand and projected demand from new properties looking to annex into Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs Utilities can reliably provide 95,000 acre-feet of water a year to its customers, English said, nearly 4,000 acre-feet-per-year more than required to service the Villages at Waterview North project.

An acre-foot of water is enough to cover an acre of land to a depth of about one foot and is considered the amount needed by a family of four for about a year.

Some planning commissioners said they were concerned about safety and noise levels since portions of the development are proposed in an aircraft accident potential subzone and an airport overlay.

“I have planes fly over my house at 6 o’clock in the morning and wake me up, and I’m a long way from the end of an (airport) runway,” Planning Commissioner Marty Rickett said. “I can’t imagine what this is going to be like.”

O’Sullivan said new energy-efficient construction regulations and new technology can help block out nearby aircraft noise. 

Ultimately, planning commissioners voted Wednesday to include a condition that developers meet additional requirements to limit noise levels on all residential areas within the concept plan area. Commissioners also requested city staff include standard disclosure language on the future development plan to ensure residents are made aware they may experience aircraft noise.

Planning Commission Chairman Scott Hente and Commissioner Jack Briggs said they were concerned about the potential for aircraft accidents happening in the proposed residential areas.

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“You’re overflowing with aircraft” in the area, Briggs said. “You’re flying directly over (houses), which means that impacts safety.”

O’Sullivan said the project adheres to airport overlay and accident protection zone standards.

“We’re asking for this annexation to be approved given we’ve gone through all the scrutiny and dedicated ourselves to trying to design a project that meets the standards, rules and regulations put in front of us,” he said.

“The (level of) risk isn’t zero,” Commissioner James McMurray said. “… I get there are risks, but the standard is the standard. The standard has been met.”